The thawing permafrost has been keeping scientists busy for some time. Just a few metres below the summit of the Zugspitze, geologist Riccardo Scandroglio crawls along a narrow shaft, the ice glinting above him. For years, he has been making the same observation in the freezing tunnel: in the crevices between the rocks, the ice recedes and turns to water. This causes the mountain to lose stability. Experts believe that extreme events will further increase. High above the Swiss village of Kandersteg, the permafrost holding the frozen subsoil on the Spitze Stein in place is melting. Geologists and ecologists from all over Europe are trying to predict such landslides. When the measuring devices installed there sound the alarm, the residents may only have 48 hours to evacuate before the rock comes crashing down.